Tribal gunmen freed 47 hostages in the southern Philippines on Sunday, but the region continued to be racked by violence as suspected Islamic radicals staged a deadly jail break in which dozens of inmates were freed, including comrades accused of beheading marines.

Gunmen ambushed a caravan of political supporters and journalists on their way to file election papers, killing at least 24 people in a massacre considered shocking even for a region notorious for violence between rival clans.

Filipinos should avoid visiting cemeteries during this weekend's All Saints' Day celebrations because a new storm threatening the country could trap them there, making rescue difficult, the country's national disaster administrator said Wednesday.

U.S. Marine CH-46 helicopters loaded with rice, sardines and drinking water flew Sunday into a stricken Philippine mountain city where supplies are running short after landslides triggered by a storm blocked roads and buried dozens of residents.